Breaking free
by hidethespider
Summary: Being the daughter of Harry Potter definitely has its perks… at least when you are young and blissfully ignorant. As an adult on the other hand, how is it possible to prove your own worth when all they ever see you as is "his" child? Albus Severus was not the only Potter child to struggle with the legacy of the name. Lily/OC. Albus/Scorpius. Cursed child compliant.
1. Prologue

This is a new continuing story that I've been writing for a while and now managed to edit and write clean on the computer. I have always been interested in the fate of Lily Luna Potter. In a world where everything the Potter kids are seen as is his children it can't be easy to make a life for yourself based on your own qualifications and skills or finding love among all the people who just want a spot in the limelight of your family. Come with me while I explore how her life could have turned out.

As usual, English is not my first langage so there might be errors here and there, feel free to correct me. I am also very fond of comments and such. It's very lovely... and much appreciated. Please enjoy! 

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_**Prologue**_

Being Lily Luna Potter definitely had its perks, to a certain extent. Being the youngest child and only daughter of _the boy who lived and saved the wizarding world from utter destruction_ had been very advantageous during her years at Hogwarts. Eleven year old Lily Potter had always enjoyed any sort of attention her family had gotten and coming to Hogwarts where everyone had wanted to be friends with her and she would become the most popular out of her bunch of cousins was something she had enjoyed tremendously. She had never understood her brother, complaining about having to go back to that school every year with his only friend, being an outcast and a disappointment to everyone who had expected more from Harry Potter's son, and someone who was also named after two legendary wizards from the war.

But being Lily Potter also means that one day, after one or two… or seven reality checks, you're bound to crack. The first time it happened was in fifth year, when one of her supposed friends had sold quite some tasty stuff to Witch Weekly about her and she got the first indication that not everyone might have wanted to be friends with the real Lily Potter, but only hanging out with her to bathe in some of the fame that comes with her last name. For the first time then, she understood her brother Albus. He had only _one friend_ during his entire time at Hogwarts, but that was a true friend who would do anything for him. Who _had_ been forced to go through horrible things to save Albus, and done it without a single look back. Lily realised she'd never had a friend like that outside of her family circle.

After that one article there seemed to never end with the news of Harry Potter's daughter. She couldn't take one step outside the family house without seeing at least one photographer hiding in a bush across the street waiting to capture anything they could put their hands on. For her two last years at Hogwarts, the castle had actually rather become quite a relief, with her not having too look behind every corner to see if she was followed by a camera lens. Although, she had become more careful with her public appearance, because there could still be treacherous snakes at school, wanting to get hold of anything they could sell to get their own fifteen minutes of fame. Lily pulled away from most of the people she'd used to hang out with and spent more time with the few family members she still had left at Hogwarts.

Although, Lily didn't realise just what a disadvantage it can be to be the daughter of war heroes until after graduating. Ever since she had been a child, and quite a daddy's girl at that, she'd known that she wanted to be an auror - just like her father. But if you're thinking that having the Head of magical law enforcement, who also happens to be your dad, as your mentor during your training is a good thing then you are terribly wrong.

The newly reformed auror's training program was a result of her father's work. It focused less on grades and paperwork, but more on the practical sides of catching the bad guys. While the training had become much shorter, one year, it was a lot more intensive and the requirements to get in were much higher. You only needed N.E.W.T grades in three subjects to be able to apply, but then it took weeks of interviews and tests to see if you were qualified.

It had not taken two hours after Lily's passing of her final test before the newspapers and magazines had published headlines like "Head of magical law enforcement giving his own daughter entrance into the first class of the new and improved auror's training program" or "Should favoritism be accepted from the most powerful man at the ministry?". While her father had assured her time and time again that she had passed the test entirely on her own qualifications and hard work, and that her being his daughter had nothing to do with it, the articles still sowed a little seed of uncertainty within her. Was this how it was going to be, for the rest of her life? That she would always be first and foremost the daughter of Harry Potter and never just Lily, the auror?

The summer before starting her training she had a summer romance. For the first time in her life she was sure she had met someone who liked her for the person she was and not for her last name. She'd been wrong of course. Just like everybody else, he'd only been with her to be seen in the papers, to gain popularity for a job he was aspiring for. It was the first time since before Hogwarts that Lily had broken down in tears. After that she decided it was best to only focus on her career, if she was going to have any opportunity to ever show her own skill and prove her own worth. The few people from Hogwarts she still remained in contact with she shut out. She didn't need friends. She had seen proof of that again and again.


	2. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1.**_

You know that saying... that one wedding eventually might bring on another? Well, I wouldn't quite drag it that far just yet, although weddings are a great place to meet new, _possibly exciting_ , people.

So when Lily's cousin Lucy was getting married to her long term boyfriend Lorcan – the kind hearted, slightly less loony one out of the Scamander twins – this sort of thing happened, very unexpectedly.

Lily had quickly noticed him, among all the other wedding guests. He stood out from the crowd of ginger and white blond heads with his brown reddish curls. And the fact that he wore a muggle suit with that gained him more than one curious look.

Lysander, today wearing a bright orange set of dress robes, suddenly nudged her in the side. "He's a bit odd, isn't he?" he said to Lily, gesturing towards the drink table where the, in Lily's opinion, handsome stranger stood looking a bit out of place. She didn't even bother with a sarcastic comment. _Who was Lysander calling odd?_

"Do you know him?" she asked carefully. "Who is he?" Lysander shrugged indifferently. "He's our second cousin once removed, or something like that. I haven't seen him in years. Lives in America you see. But me brother has kept in touch with him regularly since we were young." He explained. "What's his name?" Lily inquired further. Lysander shrugged again, it was a strange habit he had. "Kowalski. Tristan Kowalski. (A/N: Pleeease, see what I did there!) I reckon he's a nice bloke. Curious job he has. Apart from being an auror, he works part time for muggle police or something.. FPI or something…" he trailed off. Before he had finished, Lily was already half way across the room. Two words had been enough to get her attention: ' _Auror_ ' and ' _America_ '.

She wanted to talk to the mysterious stranger. She wanted to find out anything she could about how it was being an auror in America. For a while now her thoughts had been travelling in that direction. She had been thinking about looking for her first real job abroad. If she stayed in England after having finished her training and her internship year as a junior she would never get to prove herself, because everyone would always see her as Harry Potter's daughter and think she'd have lots of benefits because of that. On the other hand, it might be true in a way. Would her father really, when it came down to it, let her join in on the most dangerous missions? _Doubtful_. He'd always see her as his little girl, no matter how much he tried to deny it.

When Lily reached the drink table she grabbed a glass of Mrs Longbottom's own brand of champagne and approached the man casually. "Curious bunch, huh?" she asked him. "Are you here for the bride or groom?" she asked, like she didn't already know. The man turned sideways to look at her. "Lorcan's my relative… and friend", he said, not sounding very keen on keeping up a conversation. "What about you?" he asked her in unsuccessful attempt to sound polite. Lily's confidence and eagerness had decreased a little; this was not what she had hoped for while trying to strike up a conversation with the American. "Lucy is my cousin…" she muttered, taking a sip from her glass. Then there was nothing but awkward silence. "You're from America?" she then said, more as a statement than a question, referring to his accent. "Yes, obviously…" he muttered.

Lily was starting to question her purpose, but decided very quickly that she would not give up that easily. She was Ginevra Potter's daughter after all.

"Would you like to dance?" she asked boldly. The man raised an eyebrow and looked at her with a glare. "…No, thanks." Lily only shrugged at his answer. "Well, suit yourself then, if you want to stand here moping rather than doing something that might actually be enjoyable. I was only trying to cheer you up, but I'm clever enough to know when I've outstayed my welcome", Lily said, turning up her nose slightly to make a statement before walking away from the man. (One part of her was hurt over the fact that he didn't seem to know who she was and that might be why he had no interest in her. Even though she hated it, she had always taken advantage of the fact that people always wanted to talk to the daughter of Harry Potter. Wasn't she the queen of contradiction? )

Lily returned to her previous occupation, walking around the reception venue (which was actually just a party tent in the garden of The Burrow), watching everyone. She could see her brother slow dancing with his long time best friend turned lover, Scorpius Malfoy. She could see her mother and aunts caught up conversation, giggling like school children. Although Lily loved her family with all her heart, in occasions such as these they could sometimes be a little too much. She once again felt a deep desire to go abroad for a period of time. She was of age now. Yet, growing up as the youngest in her humongous bunch of cousins she had always felt overly protected and controlled in a way. She knew it was because they all loved her of course, but that didn't do anything to help her cause. She needed to break free, to give herself the freedom that she craved. She would _never_ get that in England.

"Lily!" someone called from behind her and Lily spun around. Her cousin Molly who just seemed to have arrived was waving at her from a different part of the tent, carrying her little firstborn in her arms. Lily scurried over and hugged them both.


End file.
